Improvement in harvesters



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afname.; mwv A {Ei/L01 www m Qm'm UNITED STATES PATENT Orirrcias JOHN POWERS AND E. M. SMITH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO JOHN S. MITCHELL, OF ASAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEM ENT IN HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 34,186, dated January 14, 1862.

Y To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN POWERS and E. M. SMITH, both of the city, county, and State 0f `New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain and Grass Harvesters; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accom panying drawings, making a part of this speciiication, in which;

Figure l is a front view of our invention, Fig. 2, a plan or top view of the same; Fig. 3, a transverse vertical section of the same, taken in the line x a', Fig. l, Fig. 4, a detached vertical section of a portion of the same, taken in the line y y, Fig. 3; Fig. 5, a detached side view of the shoe at the outer end of the fingerbar; Fig. 6, a horizontal section of the same, taken in the line z z Fig. 7, a detached plan or top view of a iinger of the harvester; Fig. 8, a longitudinal vertical section of the same, taken in the line as" x.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several iigures.

This invention consists, first, in a novel and improved manner of attaching the finger-bar to the main frame of the machine, as hereinafter fully shown and described, whereby the nger-bar and sickle are allowed to conform perfectly to the irregularities of the surface of the ground, and at the same time rendered capable ofbeing raised bodily, so as to pass over obstructions which may lie in its path, and also rendered capable of being turned upward entirely out of the way when the machine is being drawn from place to place.

The invention consists, second, in an im-V provement in the construction of the fingers of the harvester, as hereinafter described, whereby a ready egress is allowed for moisture and any trash which might find its way beneath the sickle, the choking or clogging up of the latter being thereby prevented.

The invention consists, third, in a novel arrangement of part-s for elevating the fingen bar and sickle above obstructions, as hereinafter described, whereby said elevating device is not allowed to interfere in the least with the turning up of the Yfinger-bar and sickle.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct our invention, we will proceed to describe it.

A represents the linger-bar of the machine, and B the fingers attached thereto. The fmger-bar may be constructed in the usual way, and it is attached at its inner end to a shoe, C, which is curved upward in front, as usual. This shoe C has two arms or bars, D D, attached toit, which bars are slightly curved, and are attached to the shoe C, one near to its back and the other at a point in front of the sickle E, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. The upper ends of the arms or bars D D are connected by joints a a to vertical parallel bars F F, which are fitted in socketsb b, attached to the main frame G of the machine, and are allowed to slide freely up and down therein, the bars F being retained in the sockets by pins c,which may be fitted in any of a number of holes in said bars.

The method of attaching the nger-bar to the main frame admits of the finger-bar rising ,and falling at both ends, and also rising and falling bodily. The nger bar and sickle therefore are allowed to conform perfectly to the irregularities of the surface of the ground, the joints a a, which connect the arms or bars D D to the bars F F, admitting of the .outer end of the finger-bar rising and the sliding upward of the bars F F, admitting of the inner end of the finger-bar rising.

The arms D D, rigidly attached to the shoe C,having a wide bearing on the shoe, and be= ing curved upward from the shoe, toward the frame and spreading, so as to join the bars F F, form a very firm support for sustaining the cutter-bar at right angles to the frame. They also have an open space to allow the use of the lever N, by means of which we are enabled to raise the cutter-bar to any desired height to pass obstacles, as wellas to afford sufficient room for the free working of the pitman-rod. This method of constructing the two arms D D and connecting them to the bars F F at the joints a a, together with the use of the small bolts c c, admits of the elevation of the cutter-bar to the side and partly over the main frame, so that when in that po; sition the entire cutter-bar is raised at a considerable height above the surface of the ground, enabling it thereby to freely pass all obstacles.

By the use of the bars F F in connection with the small bolts c c the inner end of the cutter-bar may be adjusted to any required height. The use of the square bars F F, working in square boxes, presents broad bearingsurfaces, creating but little friction, thereby securing a free and certain automatic vertical motion of the cutter-bar in passing over uneven surfaces.

In connection with the use of the lever N, the sliding bars F F admit of the lifting of the inner end of the cutter-bar until the joints a a f strike the lower end of the sockets?) b, thereby attaining a desirableelevation at the inner end of the cutter-bar. In that position the joints a a become a fulcrum, in connection with the curved arms D D, so that by continuing the pressure on the lever N the whole cutterbar may be bodily lifted ,to any desirable height.

The method of attaching the front arm, D, to the fore part of the shoe in front of the knives, the arm being curved forward, connecting with the bar F, causes a very steady motion to the knives and prevents the tendency of the cutter-bar to drag under.

The linger-bar A is attached at its outer end to a shoe, H, which may be of the usual form. This shoe has two vertical and parallel slots, el d, made in it, as shown clearly in Fig. 5, and through these slots screw-bolts e e pass into a plate, f, which is attached to the 1ingerbar. (See Figs. 5 and 6.) By this method of attaching the linger-bar to the shoe H it will be seen that the outer end of the iinger-bar may be adjusted higher or lower, as may be desired, as the screw-bolts e e may be secured in the slots at any desired point. The inner end of the finger-bar may be adjusted higher or lower, corresponding with its outer end, by placing the pins c c higher or lower in the bars F F.

The shoe C at the inner end of the fingery bar A is provided with a wheel, I, which wheel is directly in front of the nger-bar and at the outer side of the shoe, as shown clearlyin Fig. 2. This wheel I is quite small in diameter, and is designed to facilitate the passing of the shoe over cut grass or grain which may lie in its path, and it also serves as a firm bearingin front of the finger-bar to prevent the front part of the same being depressed or forced down under the cutting action of the sickle-.a result attending the operation of the majority of harvesters. This downward tendency of the front part of the iinger-bar is also still further prevented by thefront bar, D, which is in front of the finger-bar, as shownin Fig. 2.

The ngers B of the bar A are of the usual form at their front parts, g. The back parts, h, of the ngers are also ofthe usual form externally; but in the upper surfaces of the back parts, h, there are made grooves or channels fi, one in each finger, as shown in Fig. 7. These grooves or channels are of the form shown in Fig. 7, and it will be seen that the grooves or channels extend forward underneath the sickle-bar j, which bar works between parallel ledges k 7c on the fingers. The

grooves or channels also extend each side of holes or openings Z in the iingers, through which and the finger-bar bolts fm pass to secure the fingers to the finger-bar. The grooves or channels i extend to the back ends of the fingers and admit of the ready egress or escape of moisture, gum, and trash which may work underneath the sickle-bar j. The grooves or channels therefore will effectually prevent the choking or clogging up of the sickle E, which is constructed in the ordinary way.

Tothe right-'hand side of the main frame G there is attached a segment, K. This segment is fitted loosely on a pin or journal, n, and has a socket, L, secured to its upper end for 'the reception of a lever. The segment K "is connected by a chain, o, with a bar, N,

' ment ofthe bar N, as will be seen by referring to Fig. 1. The iingerbar A is elevated to pass over obstructions through the medium ofthe segment K, bar N, and chains 0g. The driver in elevating the finger-bar draws backward the upper end of the lever, which is attached to the segment K, and thereby iirsty of the linger-bar A being turned up, so that it may rest against the main frame G, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. l. Vere the bar N rigidly secured at its outer end underneath the frame G, this result could not be attained.

The main frame Gis composed of longitudinal wooden bars o, three or more being used. These bars r are connected at their back ends by a curved metal bar, s, which is provided at its back edge with a vertical ledge, t, against which the bars r abut, each being iitted between transverse ledges u a on the metal bar s, said ledges being forged or welded on the bar s if of wroughtiron, or cast with it if it is of cast-iron. The front ends of the bars r are tted between ledges o o on a metal bar, t, which is of curved form, has an oblique position, as shown in Fig. 2, and is provided with a longitudinal ledge, o. The ends of the bars r are secured to the metalbars s t by bolts w. This arrangement admits of the main frame being very expeditiously and rapidly constructed, and it forms a very substantial and durable frame. The wooden bar r may be got out of the requisite size, and the bars s t being furnished of the proper form, all that is required to produce the frame is to bolt the pieces together. There are no mortises to make, and no work of any kind to be done that would require an able or experienced mechanic to perform. y ,1

There is a wooden transversebar, a', attached to the under side of the front part of the main frame. This bar, however, is for the purpose of attaching the front bearing of the drivingshaft b ofthe sickle, and is not designed es` Q', the sickle being driven from the wheel QQ in the usual or in any proper way.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The attaching of the fingenbarA to the main frame G of the machine by means of the bars D D, connected by joints a at the upright sliding bars F F on the main frame G,

substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

2. The use of guard-fingers, having backs h and edges kk, extending continuously along the bar, so as to present closed surfaces in front and beneath, and formed with channels or grooves z', extending beneath the sickle-bar and partially around the bolt-holes l, and open at back to permit the ready escape of moisture, dirt, gum, or trash which may work underneath the sickle-bar.`

3. Having the bar N, which forms a portion of the lifting or elevating mechanism of the iinger-bar A, tted loosely underneath the main frame H to admit of longitudinal play pf said bar for the purpose of allowing the nger bar lto be turned up against the main frame, as set forth.

JOHN POWERS. E. M. SMITH.

Vitnesses:

JAMns LAIRD, RIcHAnnsoN GiuvLnY.` 

